With his third TKO finish in as many bouts, Christian M’Pumbu claimed Bellator Fighting Championships’ first-ever light heavyweight title.

In a back-and-forth affair with dual-division contender Richard Hale, M’Pumbu used a striking-heavy attack to net a third-round TKO finish.

The bout served as the main event of Bellator 45, the promotion’s season-four ending event, which took place Saturday night at L’Auberge du Lac Casino Resort in Lake Charles, La.

As with all of Bellator’s season-four events, Bellator 45 aired on MTV2.

With his third TKO finish in as many bouts, Christian M’Pumbu claimed Bellator Fighting Championships’ first-ever light heavyweight title.

In a back-and-forth affair with dual-division contender Richard Hale, M’Pumbu used a striking-heavy attack to net a third-round TKO finish.

M’pumbu’s intentions were obvious from the opening bell, as he used a combination of kicks, knees and punches to score some early damage. M’Pumbu looked unsuccessfully for a submission following a knockdown, but Hale lasted until the final bell, even if he knew he had given away the round.

The second frame was a bit more even, as Hale assumed the role of aggressor for several series. M’Pumbu was still effective in spots, but Hale appeared more involved in the flow of the contest.

In the third frame of the five-round bout, Hale was again pressing, but M’Pumbu was set to counter. A lazy takedown attempt failed for Hale, and M’Pumbu blasted him with a right hand. Hale hit the deck, and M’Pumbu pounced for the finish with 43 seconds remaining in the round.

In the evening’s co-feature, Brazilian slugger Patricio “Pitbull” Freire claimed a hard-fought tournament final win over a game Daniel Straus.

Freire had trouble scoring with his trademark striking attack early, but he did well to avoid Straus’ attempts to put the fight on the floor.

The Brazilian came alive as the fight wore on, using a damaging mix of low kicks and a few successful takedowns. Freire pushed the pace as the fight wore on and defending Straus’ repeated efforts to move the action to the canvas. Neither gained a huge advantage over the 15-minute span, but Freire was consistently more active and more successful in his efforts.

In the end, Freire took home a unanimous-decision win, sweeping all three rounds on two cards and winning 29-28 on another.

In middleweight action, the once-highly-touted middleweight prospect Karl Amoussou suffered another setback with a split-decision loss to Sam Alvey.

“Psycho” appeared to be in control early, bloodying Alvey with an impressive array of striking techniques and working for an armbar in the closing seconds. Yet the momentum of the first round was lost over the final two frames.

The second round was a rather lackluster period, and Alvey spent most of it in an advantageous position by outscoring on the feet and working from top position on the floor.

With the fight on the line in the third frame, both men stood toe-to-toe in the pocket. Amoussou landed a few early illegal kneed, but Alvey recovered and landed a handful of impressive combinations. With Alvey gaining momentum in the closing minutes, a takedown secured the result, albeit narrowly. At the end of regulation, Alvey walked away with a split decision.

Alvey (15-2 MMA, 1-0 BFC) has now earned four-straight wins and will now compete in a season-five middleweight tournament. Amoussou (12-4-2 MMA, 0-1 BFC) falls to just 1-2-1 in his past four outings.